It’s not often that independent musicians use their skills to benefit someone other than themselves—let alone to benefit the learning of children. But Micah Middaugh of Michigan’s Breathe Owl Breathe felt compelled to do so, not only sonically, but visually as well.

Breathe Owl Breathe recently released two children’s stories as a book, The Listeners/These Train Tracks. Along with the canvas-covered book comes two new songs pressed on 70 gram 7” vinyl. To help promote interaction, the songs are meant to be played while reading these stories. As day and night stories, the two meet in the middle of the book, symbolizing the cycle of the day.

For Middaugh, this was a project that took nearly three years to complete. Every aspect of the book, from the pages to the wood blocks he carved, was created in Michigan. The songs were even recorded in Middaugh’s home studio, Cavern Lantern Wonder Welding, in the Jordan River Valley.

Through this book, Middaugh created a product that appeals to anyone of any age. An adult may appreciate the craftsmanship of the letter-pressed pages, while a child may enjoy the melody of a song. An adult may value the limited edition vinyl, while a child loves the illustrations on the book’s pages.

We had the opportunity to speak with Middaugh about The Listeners/These Train Tracks. We spoke of writing children’s stories, the process of developing this book, and the importance of having it all created in Michigan.

What draws you to writing children’s stories?

When I started writing These Train Tracks I was mowing the lawn. At that time, I kept a lot of pocket notebooks handy (in my fanny pack) to write down thoughts. So, while mowing, I’d start one row and end another row, and I had this succession of thoughts about this train turning into a caterpillar, (then the next row) and the caterpillar turned into an airplane, (then the next row), and so on as the story goes. So, the book existed in a very small form for quite a long time (in my pocket book).

I think the pocket book idea came from my youth—my brothers and I used to make small flipbooks all the time. And, I’m making wood block carvings all the time these days, so it was a natural thing to turn the pocket book into a life size book.

What are the concepts behind The Listeners (The Mole and the Ostrich) and These Train Tracks? 

The dose-do design was an important concept to try to pull off. (The two stories end in the middle of the book, the daytime story (The Mole and the Ostrich) starts on one side, then you flip the book and start on the other side to read the nighttime story (These Train Tracks)). I was always inspired by old styles of book printing and binding, and books from the late ‘60s and ‘70s that had music that went along with stories. So, I guess the main concept was trying to work on something from the old world, but with a little of the new world. For instance, having the heavy vinyl in the middle, but with an MP3 download (for the kids). In the end, I wanted the texture of the book and the texture of the music to be able to live their lives together, in a capsule, on their own.

Why decide to set these specific stories to song? 

Oh, it just makes the two more interesting. It’s all about the process of following along, the interaction between the two.  It makes them more memorable. I’ll never forget “Bread and Jam for Frances” (Russell C. Hoban, 1964) on vinyl.

Can you describe you process behind the creation of this whole product?

I first started with some sketches in small pocket books. I then realized and carved them in wood block form. This part took quite a long time (about a year). And, basically, my thought processes were as follows:

-Move slow but diligently.

-Meditate often without knowing that you are.

-Hikes are welcome.

-At the end of the day, VHS movies are a given.

-Dartboards give nice breaks.

How has Michigan influenced you as an artist and musician?

This is where the adventures started. This land I roam gives rest to thoughts and birth to new ones. The slow time of winter is actually full of inspiration and leaves room for creating time. It’s nice to experience the seasons fully in a landscape that gives you whiteout winters, fall colors, and heavy rain. We get the weather right on our faces. It’s a place that I find myself returning to, to create in different realms.

How important was it for you to have The Listeners/These Train Tracks created in Michigan? Why was it important?

Michigan is where we are. Yeah, there’s no getting around it. This is where the adventures of the mind exist, so this is where The Listeners/These Train Tracks was created. In Magic Central (LP/CD 2010) there was definitely a tropical chapter, but much was frozen in capsules. There were cold mystical characters, but also some tropical settings… In Michigan, a lot of times you find yourself snowed in, or down a dead-end road. This played a role in these stories. We have a lot of friends here and secret places to be well kept.

Listen to “The Listeners”:

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For more information visit BreatheOwlBreathe.com.